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BALANCED GAS ENGINE.

No. 549,626. Patented Nov. 12, 1895.

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F.BURGER.

BALANGED GAS ENGINE.

No. 549,626,. Patented. Nov. 12', 1895.

AN BREW EGRANAM. PHOTU-LITHQWASKINGIDN. DCv

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANZ BURGER, OF FORT l/VAYNE, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR OF THREE- FCURTHS TOHENRY M. W'ILLIAMS, OF SAME PLACE.

BALANCED GAS-ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 549,626, dated November12, 1895.

Application fil d August 1, 1894. Serial No. 519,209. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANZ BURGER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Fort lVayne, Allen county, State of Indiana, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Balanced Gas-Engines, of whichthe following is a specification.

My invention relates to balanced gas-engines, and its object is toimprove and simplify the construction,arrangement,and mode of operationof such engines; and it consists in the various features of invention,substantially as herein after more particularly pointed out.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical sectionof an engine embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical section atright angles to the section shown in Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is atransversehorizontal section on the line 3 3, Fig. 1.

The objects of my present invention are to provide a gas-engine whichshall be capable of running at a relatively very high speed; which shalloperate at a practically uniform rate of speed the explosion takingplace at each rotation; which shall be simple in construction and occupyrelatively little space; which shall be specially adapted, among otherthings, for use in operating electric plants; in which the explosivemixture shall be used in the most economic way, being in contact withthe cylinder the shortest possible time, in order not to be cooled orcondensed therein before the explosion takes place, and generally toimprove the construction and operation of such devices and to be able tofurnish a practical high-speed-balanced gas-engine at a reasonable cost.

It will be evident that the various features of my invention may bechanged or modified to adapt them to engines of various sizes, styles,&c., and I do not, therefore, limit myself to the precise constructionand arrange ment of parts set forth and illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, although the embodiment therein shown is one of the mostpractical and simple with which I am familiar. I

The engine herein shown is of what is known as the upright type,although of course it may be of any other, and is shown as beingsupported upon a suitable base or foundation A, which may be of masonry,stone, or other well-known material.

The base proper B of the engine is made of metal, cast or otherwise, andconstitutes what may be termed a crank-shaft chamber H, and is providedwith heads B B, which are tightly secured thereto and which furnishbearings for the shaft H, which shaft is provided with the cranks H H Hand with a fly or balance wheel H Connected to this basepiece is a bodyportion or cylinder B ,which is secured to the base in any suitablemanner, and is provided with suitable passages for the air and gas, &c.,and is made hollow in the usual manner to provide a water-jacket BConnected to this bodyportion, and preferably forming a part thereof,are the lateral extensions B B, which nor only form a communicatingpassage L between the crankshaft chamber H and the cross-head chamber J,hereinafter referred to, but also form a con.- venient'inclosure for theconnecting-rods M, between the cranks H and the cross-head O.

Mounted on the body portion of the frame is a top or cap piece B whichmay be made integral therewith, but is preferably separated therefrom,and attached in any suitable way so as to form a practically gas-tightinclosure and to embrace the connecting-rods and the upper piston, aswell as furnish a continuation of the chamber H, in the form of thecross-head chamber J, communicating with H through the passages L.

Mounted in the cylinder are two working pistons C and D, the formerbeing arranged in the upper portion of the cylinder and connected to thecross-head O by a bearing or sleeve P, and thus being arranged tooperate the cranks H H through the medium of the connecting-rods M, andthe other working piston D being arranged in the lower portion of thecylinder and connected by the connecting-rod D to the crank H of theshaft. It

will be observed that these cranks H H H are arrangeddiametrically-opposite each other with relation to the axis of theshaft, so that the shaft is rotated by the working pistons as theysimultaneously approach each other and simultaneously recede from eachother, Fig. 1 showing them in their extended position and Fig. 2 showingthem in their adjacent position. It will thus be seen that I apply thepower to the shaft in the most desirable way, as one piston is pullingup on its cranks as the other piston is pushing down on its crank,thereby producing a balanced action on the shaft.

Arranged in suitable relation with the piston O are a series of ports E,they being shown in the form of openings extending entirely around thecylinder and communicating with a passage E, through which the air andgas mixture enters the cylinder, and also similarly arranged adjacentthe piston D are the exhaust-port passages or ports F, communicatingwith the exhaust-pipe F, and it will be observed that theseexhaust-ports are considerably larger in area than the inletports E, andit will further be observed that both sets of ports are controlled bythe movements of the respective pistons and uncovcred at the ends of thestrokes. In the present instance the supply of air and gas to the portsE is shown as being taken from the cross-head chamber J, through thepipe N, and as being controlled by the governor N, this being shown as atypical form of governor, in which the block N slides under the controlof the balls, so as to allow more or less of the inflammable mixture topass into the cylinder in a manner well understood by those skilled inthe art, and it is obvious that any other well-known form of governormay be used.

\Vhat is usually termed the combustion or explosion chamber W, in thepresent instance is formed in the space in the cylinder between thepistons C D when they are in their adjacent or nearest positions, asshown in Fig. 2, and connected to said combustion or explosion chamberis some sort of an igniter, (shown in the present instance as a red-hottube G,) connected with the cylinder in an obvious manner and operatingin the usual way, although an y other well-known an d practical ignitermay be used.

Some suitable air and gas mixer is connected to supply the mixture tothe chamber H, and I have shown a typical mixer K, arranged in properrelation to the biston D to be controlled thereby, and, while this isthe preferable arrangement, any other equivalent arrangement may beadopted without departing from my invention.

Such being the preferred construction and arrangement of the engine Iwill now proceed to set forth its mode of operation, so that itsadvantages may be better understood. Assuming that the base, body, andcap are tightly secured together against the passage of air or gas andthat the pistons are in the position shown in Fig. 1--that is, in theirmost extended position up and down-the products of combustion in thecylinder are being exhausted through the exhaust-ports F, passing out bytheir ownexpansifm, and further being forced out by the incomingexplosive mixture through the ports E, which are just uncovered. It willbe seen that as soon as the pistons C and 1) move toward each other theinlet ports E will first be closed, while the exhaust-ports remainpartially open, allowing time for the burned charge or products ofcombustion to be completely exhausted. A further movement of the cranks,causing the pistons C and D to approach each other, completely closesthe exhaust-ports and forms what is termed the combustion chamber \V,compressing the combustible gases therein, where they are ignited bymeans of the igniter G in the usual way and exploded, actin g andreacting upon. the working pistons C D, forcing the piston C- upward andthe piston D downward. simultaneously and under the same pressure, andthese being connected to the cranks in the manner heretofore set forththus operate to constitute a balanced engine,there being practically thesame force applied to move the cranks I1 upward as is applied to turnthe crank 11 downward, thus conducing to the even, smooth, and uniformrotation of the shaft with the least possible jar or vibration Meal 1-while, as the pistons C and D have approached each other from theposition shown in Fig. 1 until they assume the position shown in Fig. 2,they have reduced the pressure in the chambers J and H, which are incommunication with each other through the passages L, and as soon as thepassage K, leading to the air and gas mixer, is opened a charge is drawninto the chambers by the partial vacuum therein. As soon, however, asthe explosion takes place and the piston D commences to move downward,it closes the passage K and the outward movement of the pistons G 1)tends to compress the charge into the crankshaft chamber II and thechamber J and the communicating passages L, and this compres sioncontinues until the inlet-ports E are opened by the extreme upwardmovement of the piston 0, when the charge of explosive gases is allowedto enter the cylinder. Meanwhile, and before the ports E are opened, theexhaust-ports F have commenced to be opened, thus permitting the burnedgases or products of the previous combustion or explosion to begin topass out of the exhaustports before the fresh gases are permitted toenter; but on the further movement, and as the pistons reach theirextreme outward positions, the exhaust-ports are completely open and theinlet-ports also allowing the incoming charge to clear the cylinder ofthe burned gases, and then. the operations are continued as before.

It will be seen that by this construction, by using two working pistonswhich approach and recede from each other and are connected tocomplementary cranks on the shaft, the cranks may be of half the usuallength and still the full explosive and expansive or condensed to anyextent by the action of.

the cooled cylinders, a most economic and efficient high-speed-balancedgas-engine is produced.

What I claim is 1. In a gas engine, a cylinder, two working.

pistons, a crank-shaft having cranks connected with said pistons, aclosed crank-shaft chamber, a cross-head chamber, and passagesconnecting the two chambers, substantially as described.

2. In a gas engine, the combination with the cylinder and two workingpistons mounted therein, of a crank-shaft, direct connections betweenthe crank-shaft and one of the pistons, connections between thecrank-shaft and a cross-head connected to the other piston, a closedcrank-shaft chamber, an inclosed cross-head chamber, and passagesconnecting the two chambers, substantially as described.

3. In a gas engine, the combination with the cylinder, of the twoworking pistons therein, inlet ports controlled by one of the pistons,and outlet ports controlled by the other piston, and connections betweenthe working pistons and the crank shaft, substantially as described.

4. In a gas engine, the combination with the cylinder, of two workingpistons therein arranged to simultaneously approach and re-- cede fromeach other, inlet ports controlled by one of the pistons, outlet portsof larger size controlled by the other piston, both ports being arrangedto be opened when the pistons are at their extreme limits of motion, andconnections between the pistons and the crank shaft, substantially asdescribed.

5. In a gas engine, the combination with the cylinder, of two pistonstherein moving simultaneously in opposite directions, inlet and outletports controlled by the pistons in their extreme positions, a combustionchamber formed between the pistons at their nearest positions, and anigniting device connected to said combustion chamber, substantially asdescribed.

6. In a gas engine, the combination with the inclosing case forming achamber, of a cylinder having two working pistons mounted therein,'inletand outlet ports controlled by the pistons, and an inlet port to thechamber controlled by one of the pistons, substantially as described.

7. In a gas engine, the combination with the inclosing case forming achamber, of a cylinder mounted therein, two working pistons mounted inthe cylinder, a shaft in the chamber, connections between the workingpistons and shaft inclosed within the case, inlet and outlet portscontrolled by the pistons, an inlet port to the chamber controlled byone of the pistons, an igniter connected to the combustion chamber, anda governor controlling the passage of the gases from the chamber to thecylinder, substantially as described.

8. In a gas engine, the combination with the cylinder having awater-jacket and provided with inlet and outlet ports, of two pistonsmounted in said cylinder, a crank-shaft connected to said pistons, acrank-shaft chamber and a cross-head chamber having communicatingpassages,and connections between said chambers and the inlet ports,substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

FRANZ BURGER.

WVitnesses:

G. P. KRAMER, I. A. FAIRGRIEVE.

